Looking for a unique specimen tree for your landscape to stand out? Consider Winter King Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’). It offers a cloud of pure white flowers in late spring, usually after dogwoods have finished blooming. Its small leaves form a lacy, fine-textured canopy during the summer. Those leaves turn a soft light yellow in the fall.
Easy Care
Winter King Hawthorn is easy to care for and requires a sunny, well-drained location. It can tolerate any soil which is not soggy. Drought is not problematic once the tree is established. It tolerates Georgia’s wickedly variable weather and not vulnerable to any disease or pest.
Feed the Birds
However, winter is when the Winter King earns its name. It produces thick bunches of small, scarlet berries which persist throughout the winter unless eaten or weathered off. This creates a favorite feeding focal point for our feathered friends. Birds offer a fascinating aerial display as multiple species take their turn on Winter King’s limber limbs.
When birds have eaten their fill, the tree has more to offer. Winter King’s smooth, silvery bark is on display, heightened by its unique horizontal branching habit.
Winter King Hawthorn has much to love and little to concern you. Give it a try!
Looking for more winter display plants? Check out our post “Cold Weather, Warm Hues: Seven Plants for a Vibrant Winter Yard” for more beautiful ideas.
